Je t'aime, Monica
by The Omen
Summary: Shortly after meeting Monica, Max hasn't quite been himself. Even fighting monsters has become a task he cannot complete. What's wrong with Max? Ch. 2 up!
1. What's Wrong With Me?

Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Cloud 2 or anything associated with it, except the plot of this story. If you sue me, I'll counter-sue you for being an idiot and wasting my time. Thank you.

Chapter 1: What's Wrong With Me?

"Urghh!" Max bit his lip as the pain of being blasted by the Fire Element seared through him.

"Stupid-ass monster!" He growled and whipped out his gun, shooting the annoying creature repeatedly until it dropped from the air dead.

"You alright, Max? Do ya want me to take over?" Monica's voice came from behind him. Max shook his head.

"Nah, I'm fine. Don't worry, I'll call you if I get into trouble."

"Okay!"

Max was furious with himself. For the past two days, he was hardly able to fight at all. He had been repeatedly pummeled by the annoying monsters in this forest, and had fumbled for his item bag, trying to heal himself. Of course, such a task was not always easy when you were surrounded by skeletons who wanted to beat the daylights out of you. As a result, Max had been knocked out on several occasions, leaving Monica to do all the dirty work, not the mention carry him around on her shoulder until she could find a stream to dunk his head under to revive him. _I can't believe this, _he thought to himself. _The girl is saving me. It should be the other way around._

It remained a mystery to Max as to why this was happening. _I was able to fight fine in Palm Brinks. Hell, I even beat the crap out of that annoying clown monster that coward Flotsam tried to use against me._ But that wasn't helping him now.

Lost in his thoughts, he walked straight into a giant tree monster, who seemed none too pleased. It started flailing its limbs around wildly. One struck Max in the face and sent him flying right into the nearby pond. _God, I hate those things, _he thought as the cold shock of the water brought him to his senses. He had a deep gash on his right cheek.

"Max!" He heard her voice on the edge of the pond. "Are you hurt?"

Max couldn't take this anymore. It was extremely embarrassing to be beaten by the monsters while the young girl had hardly any trouble at all. He leapt out of the pond in a blind rage, and, guns a-blazin', he recklessly started to attack the annoying thing with his wrench. Unfortunately for him, the tree had already deposited its personal squad of suicide bombers. One crashed into him and made him stumble backwards, stunned. This gave the monster an opportunity. Using two of its hand-like limbs, it threw Max high in the air, and, as he started to come down, swung fiercely, sending Max flying this time, but not into the pond. Instead, he smashed into a tree, which would've been an instant lights out, had Max not already been knocked out from the wild attack.

"Max!" Monica panicked. That would have been enough to kill a normal human. But Monica knew Max was an extraordinary kid, and that he'd be fine later on. After all, the Red Atlamillia had chosen him. She calmed down a little, but her anger rose at the gigantic monster who was now bellowing a sort of strange laugh. She charged her bracelet and sent a volley of flames at it. It screamed in pain as the fire consumed its limbs. Monica didn't feel the least bit sorry for it.

"Max!" She ran to the boy, who was out cold. He had a pained look on his face, and several scratches and wounds now bleeding freely. He needed help, or would lose too much blood. Abandoning the current task at hand, she picked him up gently and, with all speed she could muster, ran toward the exit of the forest.

A/N: How's that for the first chapter? No romance yet, but we're gettin' to that part. Please review. I need some feedback.


	2. The Doctor's Office

Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Cloud 2 or anything associated with it, except the plot of this story. If you sue me, I'll counter-sue you for being an idiot and wasting my time. Thank you.

Chapter 2: The Doctor's Office

"Waaaaaah! I don't want to be poked by the needle!" Corrine struggled to free herself from her mother's grasp, who was holding her tight on the examination bed.

"Now, Corrine," Dr. Dell said warmly. "I need to inject some Mighty Healing into you because that mean monster poisoned you. It'll only sting for a second, and then you'll be all better!"

"No, it'll get better by itself!" But her protests fell on deaf ears, and tears streamed down her face as Dr. Dell injected the dose of medicine into her arm.

"There, that wasn't so bad!" Dr. Dell exclaimed, as he placed a bandage on the sore spot. "Here, let me get you a lollipop!"

"Thank you so much, Doctor," Corrine's mother said. "How much do I owe you?"

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's free this time. Just be careful not to play in the forest again, Corrine, or I might have to do that again." She nodded solemnly. "Bye now!"

The second they stepped out of his office, the door burst opened again and Dr. Dell was shocked by what he saw. A hot and sweaty Monica was holding Max in her arms, who was unconscious and had several deep wounds.

"Doctor, you've gotta help! Max got in a fight in the forest, and he's hurt bad!"

The Doctor wasted no time. "Put him on the examination bed. Quickly, now." Monica did as she was told, and the Doctor rushed to his cupboards to get the necessary supplies.

"Is he going to be okay?" Monica asked with a worried look on her face. The Doctor's face was now very serious.

"I certainly hope so, Monica. I can't tell you anything yet. You'll have to go wait outside in the waiting room."

_Please don't die, Max, _Monica thought to herself. _You can't. Please._ Very anxiously, Monica went outside to wait. But there was no way she could sit. She was a very strange sight indeed to the others who walked in and out of the office. She paced around the room, muttering to herself with a very worried expression on her face. Whenever someone asked her what was wrong, she simply ignored them, lost in her own thoughts. _I can't let him die. I-I-lo..., _But did she? Was it possible that she loved Max, only a few days after meeting him? Or was it just a little crush?

Meanwhile, in Dr. Dell's office, he was treating Max's wounds to the best of his ability. Most of the minor ones had been treated. What the doctor was concerned about was the blow Max had taken to his head. It may have very easily given him a concussion. He felt his head for any bumps. Sure enough, there was one on the very back, where he had impacted the tree. He'd have to give him the proper treatment, or there was a chance that Max could be mentally disabled for the rest of his life. He also checked the neck and back area for any broken bones. The Doctor breathed a deep sigh of relief when he found there were none. He took his clipboard and scribbled something on it. Then, he decided to tell Monica that Max was going to be all right.

He found her out in the office, sleeping on a chair. It had grown pretty late since she ahd brought Max to the office. Everyone was gone, except the three of them and Dr. Dell's staff. He shook her softly.

"Monica?" She mumbled something under her breath, but did not awake. Judging by her expression, she had had a very pained sleep. "Monica?" He tried again. This time, she opened her eyes slowly. She took in her surroundings and remembered where she was. Instantly she was awake.

"How's Max? Is he gonna be alright?" Dr. Dell nodded.

"Yes, he will. I already fixed him up. He got a concussion from the attack, but my nurses are taking care of that as we speak. He'll be just fine, and you'll be able to see him in the morning. I see you've already taken a little nap. Maybe you should return to the train until tomorrow."

Monica was very relieved. "Thank goodness he's alright. I'll be back tomorrow, Doc." She said good-bye and left the office. _He's going to be alright!_

A/N: Hope you liked it. Just building the plotline and tension here, so don't get mad. Chapter three is underway, and we're a-gettin' to the good stuff. For now, review, review, review! Do it! I love reviews. Feel free to flame! I could care less! Just get those reviews in there.


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